'Zanu-PF is a mafia organisation'

Despite the fact that Zanu-PF is seemingly at its weakest - as factional and succession wars rage on - the MDC is fearful that the ruling party will be vicious come 2018 elections.

Speaking to the Daily News on Sunday yesterday MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said the ruling party is just like a mafia organisation that will unite and use the advantage of incumbency to unleash violence against opposition parties' supporters.

"Naturally, we will need both solid financial and material resources to confront and ultimately collapse this deeply-entrenched dictatorship. This regime is at its weakest because its coffers are virtually dry.

"However, the regime is also at its most dangerous state because they have literally thrown all caution to the wind as they desperately seek to retain State power, by whatever means necessary," said Gutu.

Already, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has launched a nationwide outreach campaign as he rallies his troops but the opposition party that is seeking alliances with other opposition outfits ahead of the 2018 polls, is worried by the link between Zanu-PF and the State.

"The State and the party have been conflated in such a manner that the Zanu-PF regime actually relies more on the State machinery rather than on its own party structures in order to retain political power.

"We are devising strategies to collapse the hegemony of Zanu-PF in State organs without shedding any blood.

"The MDC is a social democratic political party that doesn't believe in the violent and unconstitutional overthrow of any government."

Gutu's sentiments came as opposition parties and civil society organisations said Zanu-PF won the recently held Bikita West by-election by intimidating villagers.

"We know that we are dealing with a wild and dangerous beast in the form of the Zanu-PF regime. For starters, Zanu-PF is not a conventional political party. It's a fully-fledged Mafia organisation that abuses State machinery to remain in power.

"Our focus as the opposition should be, therefore, to systematically dismantle the Zanu-PF Mafia using peaceful and democratic means.

"This is not a stroll in the park because the regime is at its most dangerous and lethal phase.

"Internally, the regime is deeply fractured and factionalised but we should never, ever under - estimate the capacity of the Zanu-PF regime to conveniently coalesce for the purpose of confronting a common enemy and thereafter, continue to internally squabble."

Although the opposition is also at its weakest Gutu said Zimbabweans must not lose hope because Zanu-PF will be history after 2018.

"Zimbabwe is in transition and Robert Mugabe is certainly on his way out of power; make no mistake about that. This is the time for us to be focused, united and strategic. Internal squabbling can only make us weaker; not stronger. We have now entered the homestretch to a New Zimbabwe.

"The people of Zimbabwe should give us a chance as we grapple with the evil Frankenstein monster that is the Zanu-PF regime."